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For its unique cultural heritage, Hanseatic town Visby was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995.

"Visby is an outstanding example of a Northern European walled Hanseatic town which has in a unique way preserved its townscape and its extremely valuable buildings, which in form and function clearly reflect this significant human settlement."
The World Heritage Committee.

The ring wall is almost 3.5km long and encircles the old stone houses, churches and street systems. It is made from limestone and has three main gates and more than 50 towers surrounded by moats. The wall was not only built to protect the town from its enemies but also to separate it from the Gotlandic countryside. Merchants, squires, Vikings, kings and nobility have visited this medieval town for centuries. Membership of Hansa made the town rich and during the 12th and 13th centuries it became one of the most prominent towns in the Baltic Sea region. The townscape is characterised by magnificent stone house architecture. Around 200 medieval stone buildings have been completely or partly preserved. Merchant buildings with impressive stepped gables, high cellars and Gothic facade décor still dominate the skyline. Also typical for 17th & 18th century townscapes are the half-timbered and post and plank buildings.